At the outset Herberstein met with no small difficulty with regard to carrying out the object of his embassy, in consequence of the bitter feeling which existed between the two courts of Russia and Poland, and the probable prospect of advantage to the grand-prince from a continuance of the war. In spite of this, however, Herberstein’s endeavours were not without good results; and he had the gratification, after his first report to the archduke Ferdinand, to receive a letter, in which he showed his great satisfaction at what he had accomplished. The grand-prince, nevertheless, demanded, as he had done in Herberstein’s former embassy, that the king of Poland should, as a proof of his own wish to establish peace,
the art of poetry. Being esteemed a person fit for business, as having a good and ready command of his pen, he was entertained by Thos. Randolph, Esq., to be his secretary, when he received commission from Queen Elizabeth to go ambassador to the Emperor of Russia. After his arrival at that place, he did, at spare hours, exercise his muse, and wrote, Poems describing the Places and Manners of the Country and People of Russia”; an. 1568 (1569). The three poetical epistles, in the last of which he alludes to Herberstein, are addressed to the author’s friends, “Edward Dancie, Spencer, and Parker.” Ant. à. Wood, in his life of Turberville, refers to the second name as Edm. Spencer, meaning, of course, the poet; but there is no mention of Edmund in Turberville or Hakluyt. He is merely called Spencer, and certainly was not the celebrated author of the Fairy Queen, who was then only about fifteen years of age. The same error has been made by the editor of the reprint of Turberville’s Tragical Tales; 4to., Edinb., 1837. Of the two other persons, the editor can find no account. These letters on Russia are likewise included among the Epitaphs and Sonnets attached to the Tragical Tales, the original edition of which work (printed in 1587) is exceedingly rare. A reprint of this, limited to fifty copies, 4to., appeared at Edinburgh in 1837. A copy is in the Grenville Library.
